Boudreau not afraid to tinker

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ANAHEIM To know Bruce Boudreau is to know that change is going to come.

If something isn't working or doesn't look like he envisioned, the Ducks' second-year coach doesn't hesitate to alter the game plan or change his personnel to find a solution. It can often be from shift to shift and little is truly set in stone.

Change has been the operative word in the early stages of a 48-game season that began with a quick training camp and no preseason games. The Ducks are off to a 3-1-1 start, but Boudreau has done his fair share of tinkering in every area.

For those who got used to former coach Randy Carlyle often being set in his ways, it is quite the paradigm shift.

“He's trying to make his stamp on things and stuff, a little bit here and there,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “And those are things that we've got to adapt to as a group. Things that he thinks will work and he proves that.

“He shows us on the video all the time, things that are working. We've just got to get used to doing it.”

Boudreau has already shuffled the deck to turn around a struggling penalty kill and has been moving bodies in and out on the fourth line. His latest project is a power play that hasn't scored in its past 12 chances after going 3 for 3 on opening night against Vancouver.

It was once a constant to see Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne as the three forwards on the first unit, with Bobby Ryan and Saku Koivu usually the main cogs on the second unit. Both units have been jumbled with youngsters Nick Bonino and Kyle Palmieri seeing time with each.

“When you get different guys out there all the time on a game-to-game basis, it is definitely different,” Getzlaf said. “It's an adjustment. You get stuck in a rut, so to speak. Me, Perry and Teemu have been going together for seven years now. It's something that you have to look at and take it.

“Maybe we got in a little bit of a rut on the power play and doing things that we want to do and doing them our way instead of his way.”

Was it too easy on that first night against the Canucks? After Thursday's practice, Boudreau alluded to it and quickly noted “we haven't scored one since.”

“I think we've worked on it more in this year so far than I've ever worked on it before,” Boudreau said. “Until we start scoring with regularity, it'll be something we'll be working on with regularity.”

Etem looks ahead

Ducks winger Emerson Etem savored his NHL debut Tuesday in San Jose, and he is now looking forward to playing in front of family and friends if he's in the lineup tonight against Minnesota.

A native of Long Beach, Etem became the 13th player born and raised in Southern California to play in the NHL.

“I'll have a lot,” he said.

“Maybe 15, 20 (people). It's going to be quite the crowd.”

New-look Wild

The Wild is 4-2-1 and has a new look with prized free-agent additions Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Parise has a team-leading five goals and nine points.

“He works so hard,” Boudreau said of Parise. “He's like a Tasmanian devil out there. He's just always moving his legs. He's always going.”

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